Cleansing process and product



Patented Nov. 23, 1943 CLEANSING rnocass AND raonUc'r Joseph Niisslein and Karl Pauser, Frankfort-onthe-Main, Germany; vested in the Alien Property Custodian No Drawing. Application September 17, 1940, erial No. 357,118. In Germany September 26,

2 Claims. (01. 252-161) The present invention relates to a cleansing process and product.

Water-soluble derivatives of high polyoses which contain hydrocarbon radicals bound in an ether-like manner and substituted by hydrophilic groups have no or only a very small washing action. If they are, however, used as addition to soap or synthetic, surface-active organic compounds advantages are obtained. With mixtures from water-soluble derivatives of high polyoses and equal or larger quantities of washing agents a cleansing effect may be obtained which is otherwise only arrived at by the use of higher concentrations of washing agents.

Whereas in such mixture, on the one hand, soap, that is to say, a washing agent hydrolizing in aqueous solution and, on the other hand. synthetic organic washing agents, that is to say, washing agents which do not hydrolyize behave about equally, the behaviour of the said washing agents shows considerable differences when they are used in concentrations which are insufllcient for washing and cleansing. Whereas the washing effect of small quantities of soap is improved only to an immaterial extent by the simultaneous use of water-soluble derivatives of high polyoses containing ether-like bound hydrocarbon radicals substituted by hydrophilic groups, the washing power of synthetic organic nonhydrolyzing washing agents is considerably enhanced by the use of the said products. It is, therefore, possible to prepare a washing agent which contains only small quantities of synthetic organic non-hydrolizing washing agents in admixture with water-soluble derivatives of high polyoses containing ether-like bound hydrocarbon radicals substituted by hydrophilic groups. For instance, the mixture need contain only -30% of the washing agent. With such a mixture very good washing results are obtained even if only such a small quantity thereof is present in the washing liquor that the concentration of pure, non-hydrolizing washing agent per se would not be suificient for washing.

The water-soluble derivatives of high polyoses which are suitable for the present process are derived, for instance, from cellulose, starch, lichenin, xylan and other carbohydrates. There may be used derivatives which contain ether-like bound hydrocarbon radicals substituted by hydrophilic groups, for instance, hydroxyethylmethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl starch, furthermoreether-like derivatives containing acid groups such as cellulose glycolic acid, starch glycolic acid, cellulose oxyethane sulfonic acid that is to say compounds which are obtained by condensation of the alkali compounds of polyoses with halogen alkyl carboxylic acids or halogen alkyl sulfonic acids. These ether acids may be used in the form of their water-soluble salts, for instance, their alkali metal salts, the ammonium salts and the salts with organic nitrogen bases.

As washing agents there enter into question synthetic, organic compounds of surface activity which behave in water in a manner different from that of the alkali salts of higher fatty acids that is to say, which do not hydrolize. In the first place there are mentioned anion-active washing agents, i. e., compounds in which the anion contains the surface-active group and electro-neutral compounds which are water-soluble by their contents of polyalkyleneoxy groups. As washing agents which do not hydrolise there are suitable, for instance,: fatty acid condensation products, for instance from oleic acid chloride and methtyltaurine, oleic acid chloride and sodium hydroxyethane sulfonate, oleic acid chloride and sodium amino acetate or sarcosine or products of albumin cleavage, sulfuric acid esters of high molecular alcohols, sulfonation products of high-molecular hydrocarbons, reaction products of fatty alcohols and alkylphenols with alkylene oxydes, as well as the sulfuric esters of these oxalylation products, or the like.

To the said mixtures there may be added sodium carbonate, alkali silicates and other substances having an alkaline reaction, water-soluble phosphates and salts of phosphoric acids which are poorer in water than the ortho-phosphoric acid and of amino carboxylic acids whic carry at the nitrogen atom more than one carboxyl group. Moreover, substances yielding oxygen such as hydrogen peroxide, sodium perborate, percarbonate, sodium and magnesium peroxide, alkali persulfates, alkali persilicates and the alkali perphosphates may be added.

The following examples illustrate the invention, the parts being by weight unless otherwise stated:

(1) Cotton fabric dirtied by means of street dust, animal fat and mineral oil is washed in permutite water near boiling temperature, with addition of 1 gram of anhydrous sodium carbonate per liter, with 0.5 gram of'a mixture of parts of cellulose sodium glycolate and 10 parts of the sulfuric acid ester of the condensation product of isotetradecylphenol and 5 mols of ethylene oxide. A clean-washed material is 55 obtained, whereas parts of sodium cellulose glycolate without addition have no cleansing effect.

(2) Artificial silk staple fiber, dirtied as' in Example 1, is washed in water of 15 of German hardness containing 2 grams of anhydrous sodium carbonate and 0.5 gram of sodium nitrilo triacetate with 0.5 gram of a mixture of 90 parts of sodium trisilicate and 32% of sodium sulfate shows a very good subjecting eifect on dirty household laundry goods when 8 grams thereof are used per liter of water of 15 of German hardness with addition of 2 grams of anhydrous sodium carbonate at 70 C.

(4) A household washing agent of the same composition as indicated in Example 3 but containing 5% of hydroxyethyl cellulose, yields at 95 C. in water of 15 of German hardness a good cleansing effect on table and kitchen linen.

(5) With the washing agent of Example 3 but containing instead of 5% of sodium cellulose glycolate 5% of sodium starch glycolate a dirty wool fabric is well washed at 40 C. r

(6) A mixture of 75 parts of hydroxethyl cellulose and parts of the sodium salt of oleic acid methyl taurine yields an excellent cleansing agent for household purposes, for instance, for cleansing floors, vessels and window panes.

(7) A mixed fabric of cotton and artificial silk staple fiber dirtied by means of street dust, animal fat and mineral oil is well cleansed in diehardened water of 95 C. containing 0.75 gram of sodium benzylcellulose glycolate and 0.25 gram of sulfuric ester of hydroxethylated diisoheptylphenol without simultaneous use of sodium carbonate.

(8) A washing powder of valuable properties is obtained from 8% of benzylcellulose sodium glycolate, 2% of the sodium salt of sulfonic acids obtained by the action of chlorine and sulfur dioxide on high molecular parafline hydrocarbons, 10% of calcined sodium carbonate, 20% of sodium be insufficient to elect washing, said agent being selected from the group consisting of condensation products of oleic acid chloride and methyl taurine, oleic acid chloride and sodium hydroxyethane 'sulionate, oleic acid chloride and sodium amino acetate, sulfuric acid esters of high molecular alcohols, suli'onation products of high molecular hydrocarbons, reaction products of fatty alcohols and alkylphenols with alkylene oxides and the sulfuric acid esters of these oxalkylation products, said bath further containing a watersoluble derivative of high polyoses selected from the class consisting of cellulose, starch, lichenin and xylan having ether-likebound hydrocarbon radicals substituted by hydrophilic groups, which comprises subjecting the materials to the action of -a bath comprising an aqueous solution of a mixture of about 10-30 parts of the said synthetic organic washing agent and about 90-70 parts of said water-soluble derivative of high polyoses.

2. A detergent composition comprising a mixture of a non-hydrolyzlng synthetic organic washing agent, said agent being selected from the group consisting of condensation products of oleic acid chloride and methyl taurine, oleic acid chloride and sodium hydroxyethane sulfonate,

. oleic acid chloride and sodium amino acetate,

sulfuric acid esters of high molecular alcohols, sulfonation products of high-molecular hydrocarbons, reaction products of fatty alcohols and alkylphenols with alkylene oxides and the sulfuric acid esters of these oxalkylation products, and a water-soluble derivative of high polyoses selected from the class consisting of cellulose, starch, lichenin and xylan having ether-like bound hydrocarbon radicals substituted by hydrophilic groups, the proportions in the mixture being about l0-30 parts of the said synthetic organic washing agent to -70 parts of the said water-soluble derivative of high polyoses, said mixture being eifective as a detergent even if only such a small quantity thereof is present in the washing bath that the concentration of the non-hydrolyzing washing agent per se would be insufficient for washing.

JOSEPH NiissLEm.

KARL PAUSER. 

